Some modern automotive vehicles are propelled by electric motors, such as, for example, fuel cell vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, or pure electric vehicles. These vehicles typically include battery modules and other electronic components used to drive the motor. A significant amount of energy may flow into and out of the electronic components, which results in the generation of heat. As a result, various cooling techniques have been developed to dissipate heat. Given the stringent performance and weight requirements of these vehicles, it is desirable to provide cooling in the most efficient and least costly way possible. Typically, these cooling systems may include a closed loop that circulates coolant through the battery module and other electronic components to remove heat from, and thus cool, these components and then through a heat exchanger to remove the heat from the coolant.
As the temperature of the coolant within the cooling system increases and decreases during and after operation, the volume of the coolant respectively increases and decreases. To accommodate volume variations, coolant reservoirs may be integrated with the closed loop cooling system to capture and store reserve (or excess) coolant as the coolant temperature increases and then later return the reserve coolant to the cooling system as the coolant temperature drops.
In addition to coolant, some air is contained within the coolant reservoir to accommodate coolant volume changes. Moreover, air may be introduced into the system during filling or service operations of the cooling system. In some cases, this air may become entrained within the coolant (i.e., aerated) of the cooling system. The entrained air in the coolant may reduce cooling system efficiency.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved cooling systems for efficiently cooling components of electric motor vehicles. In addition, it is desirable to provide cooling systems that deaerate the coolant without adding undue weight or cost to the vehicle. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.